


This Isn't My Idea of Fun

by ohanotherday



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek is Derek, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Genim is too outrageous a name to not belong here, Implied Mpreg, Implied or Off-stage Rape/Non-con, M/M, Non Consensual, Rape/Non-con References, Stiles is Odette, Swan Princess AU, but seriously, fluff fluff fluff, lots of fluff, maybe a bit of crack too, mentions of Jackson/Stiles, not adhering to canon ages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-16
Updated: 2012-08-06
Packaged: 2017-11-10 01:42:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/460842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohanotherday/pseuds/ohanotherday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Swan Princess AU: Once upon a time there was a king named William who ruled a large and mighty kingdom, but he was very sad because he was growing old and had no child to inherit the throne. Then, happily, a son was born. A prince. And he was given the named Genim. Kings and queens came from all over the land. Among them was Queen Uberta and her young son Prince Derek.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I babysat my 4 year old niece awhile ago and she made me watch Swan Princess twice, so I started writing this. I forgot all about it until my niece and I got sick and I babysat her while my internet was down. Needless to say, I now have a Swan Princess AU. I feel like it’s just all kid fic and fluff and Derek pining, though eventually there will be Peter Hale bad bad touching. So I’ll change tags when necessary.

_Once upon a time there was a king named William who ruled a large and mighty kingdom, but he was very sad because he was growing old and had no child to inherit the throne. Then, happily, a son was born. A prince. And he was given the named Genim. Kings and queens came from all over the land. Among them were Queen Uberta and her young son Prince Derek._

_\---_

“Ugh, stop shoving me, Laura!” squeaked Derek.

“Shhh, Derek.” Laura was only seven but even she knew her mother would be upon them in an instant if they caused a scene during the celebration of the one year old. Laura smiled at the tiny, cooing baby. “Here,” Laura held up a locket in her hand, “give this to the baby.”

Derek looked at the locket warily. The four year old wasn’t sure what kind of a game this was, but he snatched the locket from her hand.  Very slowly he went up on his tiptoes, looking into the cradle before deciding to dangle the locket near the baby’s outstretched hands. The baby instantly gurgled and a huge smile erupted on Derek’s face.

The moment was not lost on King William or Queen Uberta. Their eyes met across the room as both stumbled upon the idea of how perfect a match it would be. Queen Uberta was already aware that one of her children would most likely be betrothed to a member of the royal family of the Argent kingdom.  That marriage would ensure peace and strengthen the unstable truce they had between them.  Queen Uberta smiled at the prospect of a possible marriage between Genim and one of her children, as it would join the two neighboring kingdoms into one.

But unknown to all was an evil enchanter. Genim’s birth was of little concern to him, for he was planning on taking William’s kingdom by the means of evil arts. On the eve of the enchanter’s assault, King William attacked and the enchanter’s powers were plunged into darkness.

Despite calls for his death, King William only banished him.

Before leaving, the enchanter proclaimed, “One day I will get my powers back. And when I do, everything you own, everything you love, will be mine” the enchanter threatened, but the king stood firm in his decision of exile. Many feared King William too kind.

\---

Prince Genim leaned his head against his father. The horse his father and he were riding was trotting along at an amiable pace, but the six year old wanted the horse to go faster.

“Father, can we go back to the boat? This horse is too slow.” Genim pouted.

The small child had instantly loved the voyage across the sea, but his father refused to let him get too close to the rails, holding his hand to keep him from running across the deck. When Genim saw the horse, he had been delighted until his father insisted he ride with him, unsure if his son would be safe riding alone. Genim grew sleepy from the horse riding. His father had been insistent that he be on his best behavior when they arrived, urging him to remember all his manners, but all Genim wanted to do was jump and run and play. Genim begged his father to make the horse move faster, but King William only laughed and hugged Genim closer.

Soon enough the castle appeared and Genim heard a trumpet blowing to announce their arrival at the castle. Genim’s eyes grew wide as they entered the castle gates, having never been to the home of another royal family before. King William gently lifted Genim off the horse before greeting the Hales.

“Aw, Uberta, lovely as ever.” Genim watched his father speak casually to the queen before his eyes set on her son. “And who might this strapping young lad be? Young Prince Derek no doubt.”  

Derek looked up to see his mother smiling, and rolled his eyes. Derek hated the performance she always seemed eager to display in the proximity of other royals. Derek saw no point in the forced pleasantries. Laura politely curtsied and was easily excused to her chambers. Derek growled that she was able to flee so soon.

“Welcome, King William, and to you young prince.” Queen Uberta continued smiling, brushing her hand against Derek’s shoulder. “Well, go on Derek. Dear go on” Derek saw Prince Genim’s apprehension and he immediately decided he did not want to be friends with him. Pouting, Derek turned his face towards his mother’s dress and resisted her attempts to make him greet Genim.  

_“Mother!”_

“ _Derek!”_ Uberta harshly whispered.

Derek huffed as he quickly walked up to Genim.

“Hello Prince Genim. I’m very pleased to meet you.” Derek gritted out, annoyed that the nine year old had to be friends with someone so much younger.  Genim linked his hands behind his back as he watched Derek.

“Pleased to meet you, Prince Derek.”

Genim bowed, but Derek instantly turned around and marched back to his mother, his cloak hitting Genim in the face as he spun around. Genim cupped his cheek in surprise, not comprehending Derek’s curtness.

“Uh uh uh” Derek’s mother rebuked as she wagged her finger. Derek turned around, looking up at the sky in embarrassment. He walked back over to Genim before he took Genim’s hand and placed a kiss upon it.

“ _Yuck!”_

Of all the rules his mother had told him, this was by far the worst. Being nine years old and having to babysit a six year old for the entire summer seemed like the worst idea ever. But when he was told he had to kiss Genim’s hand, his young life seemed over. If Genim was supposed to be his friend, why did he have to kiss him? He only ever saw the adults kiss when they were married or betrothed. And as far as formalities went, he rarely saw friends kiss each other. Unless they were, as his mother had once said “a suitable match.” Derek groaned, realizing that this could only mean bad news. 

Derek had sulked for weeks, upset that we wouldn’t be able to wrestle, hunt, or fox with Genim—not if Genim was supposed to marry him. Girls didn’t do that kind of stuff, and Derek had already decided to categorize Genim in that group. Well Laura did all those things, but Laura was different. She bossed him around, older and smarter. But Derek would have to have a dull summer with this dull boy. Genim would probably be just like all of the girls he had met—though in truth he never gave the girls a chance. But he assumed that all—with the exception of Laura—must be silly, with only marriage on their mind. This would be the worst summer ever.

He looked at Genim harshly, but apparently Genim was not as pleased with the arrangement either as he quickly jumped to a fighting poise with fists raised. Derek quickly jumped back in shock before crossing his hands over his chest and puffing air out.

This wasn’t his idea of fun.

\---

Queen Uberta urged Derek to take Genim along with him to play. Derek had rushed back to his room as fast as possible, but when he turned around Genim was standing right beside him, albeit a little out of breath.

“What kind of a name is Genim anyways? Genim Stilinski.” Derek watched as the little boy looked back at him curiously. “It sounds dumb.”

Genim narrowed his eyes again before his nose crinkled up. Derek watched the anger wash away and a smile lit Genim’s face. “I don’t like it either. Nobody ever says my name right. Even you said it wrong.” Stiles pointed a finger at Derek. “But I like ‘Stiles’ better. And my father says I can be called whatever I want.”

Stiles surveyed Derek’s room before running to Derek’s toy chest and grabbing a wooden sword. Stiles looked at Derek eagerly. Derek paused. Stiles should have been upset with him. Derek had been certain that Stiles would go away once Derek teased him about his name. Derek did not understand the little boy’s easy forgiveness.

“Can we play pirates? I know all about them! My dad has these amazing books in this huge library and some have stories about pirates and buried treasure. And they sail ships! We we’re on a ship. Me and my dad. But we didn’t see any pirates.” Stiles spun around, grabbing at the air to keep himself steady. “You know, some of the pirates even…” Stiles looked around furtively, “ _kill_ people. My father never lets me read those stories, but they’re all there in the history books in the library. I find them anyway, but father doesn’t know.”

Derek looked at Stiles tentatively before he grabbed another wooden sword. Derek wasn’t sure how to handle Stiles. Not at all. If he played along, Stiles would think they were friends, and then Stiles would tag along behind him everywhere. Stiles already seemed at ease here. Better to stop that friendship as quickly as possible.

“Do you even know how to play? You seem a bit girly,” Derek sneered.

“I know how to play!” Stiles quipped, a hint of anger in the response.

“Are you sure? For being raised by your father, you sure don’t act anything like him” Derek taunted, attempting to provoke the boy.

Stiles’ face fell and his shoulders momentarily slouched as if he had been struck. Derek regretted his harsh tone, but Stiles spoke up. “Huh, well I bet you don’t know how to play anyways.” Stiles walked around the room looking pointedly at the floor “Where’s your dad? I heard from my nurse that a great animal attacked him.  What could you have learned from him?”

Both Derek and Stiles remained still. Derek vision became blurry. His father had recently passed away, and the circumstances were all still a little fuzzy. He had been killed by a great beast during a hunting outing, but no animal had been captured. Quickly Derek’s sadness turned to anger and he lunged at Stiles with the sword. It probably wasn’t the best idea to attack a younger child, but Derek really couldn’t care.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Stiles realized his mistake.  He wrung his hands remembering that his dad told him over and over to be nice to Derek and to not say anything about the dead king. Stiles knew all about having one parent, even if he was only six years old. But years of teasing about not having a mom had given him firsthand experience on how to make someone cry. Before Stiles could work up an apology, he saw Derek lunging toward him, swinging the wooden sword dangerously close. Stiles jumped and fell to the floor before he crawled between Derek’s legs and ran out the door. Derek caught up and was about to grab Stiles, but Stiles threw his arm back and hit Derek’s side with the sword.

“Oww!” Derek groaned in pain and hugged his side, but he refused to let Stiles get away that easily. Derek saw Laura peek her head out from her room, and he growled again in frustration, knowing that Laura would want to know what happened. Instead, Derek broke off in a sprint, eager to avoid an interrogation from his sister. Derek finally caught up with Stiles on the stairs. “Get back here right now!”

Stiles turned around and Derek smirked in triumph, but his happiness was cut short when Stiles stuck his leg out and tripped Derek. Derek missed the last three steps and landed on the floor with a harrumph.

Stiles smirked and jumped up and down in triumph before his smile stretched across his face and he decided to pounce on Derek. The wind was knocked out of Derek, and he covered his face with his hands as Stiles started attacking, hitting Derek’s head. Derek grabbed Stiles’ neck before he realized their parents were in the same room; however, King William and his mother had not seemed to notice them yet. If his mother saw Derek fighting with Stiles, he knew he would be severely punished. Derek turned over in order to stand up and avoid anymore attacks, but apparently Stiles was not as concerned with getting in trouble, as he delivered a swift punch to the back of Derek’s head. Derek reached behind to hit Stiles but was stopped by his sister’s sudden burst of laughter.

“Derek! Why are you fighting with our guest?” Laura tilted her head in bemusement. Leaning forward, she outstretched a hand to Stiles. Stiles still had his hand clenched in a fist, but when he looked up at Laura his fist quickly dropped. Stiles’ face glowed with happiness as he reached up to shake her hand.

“Hi! I’m Stiles.”

“Hello, Stiles. I’m Laura.” Laura smirked down at Derek. “Is my brother bothering you?” Stiles looked down at Derek before shrugging his shoulders and making a noncommittal noise. Laura smiled down at Stiles and led him toward the gardens. Derek was appalled. Sure Stiles wasn’t his friend, but that didn’t mean anyone could go around taking him away from him. Stiles was supposed to be _his_ guest and _his_ responsibility. Derek leaped up and followed them close behind, shoulders hunched over once he reached them.

“Laura! What are you doing? He’s my guest!” Derek whined.

“Last time I checked, you’re not supposed to have fights with your guests.”

“He started it!” At this point Derek managed to get in front of Stiles. “You know what you did! Tell her!” Derek jabbed a finger at the little boy’s chest, but Derek did not expect to see Stiles’ doe eyes fill with tears or his mouth pout and tremble, nor did he expect Stiles to grab onto Laura’s leg and start sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling incoherently into her dress. Laura looked at Derek harshly.

“What did you do, Derek?”

Derek looked affronted. “Me? I-I-I didn’t do anything!”


	2. Chapter 2

“Good heavens, Stiles! We have to keep to the schedule. Your bags are all packed, just come outside already!”

Stiles peeked down over the balcony. He was running out of excuses to prevent their departure to see the Hales—to see Derek—and his father’s patience was dwindling. Stiles hated the summers. It consisted of constant teasing from Prince Derek, the person who everyone in the kingdom assumed Stiles would one day marry. It frustrated Stiles that everyone seemed to care only for the resulting benefits of lower taxes and the perks that came with combining two kingdoms. Only Laura seemed to understand Stiles desire to marry for love, but he felt ridiculous bringing it up, knowing her impending marriage into the Argent family would only cause her pain.

Laura had resigned herself to it—even seemed cheerful about the idea that as queen in the Argent kingdom, she would have a firm hold on a kingdom that was known for its sometimes irrational aggressive warfare toward the Hale kingdom. When one of the younger members of the extended Argent family, Kate, had been brutally murdered, the evidence pointed toward the Hales. Not until Derek’s father had been killed by a great animal, and his body was discovered to have the same attacks as the girl, did the war with the Argent kingdom end. Stiles felt he should learn how to see the possible benefits of a marriage that at least wasn’t formulated on the need to establish peace. But at this moment, Stiles wished only to stay in his room and never have to hear the word marriage ever again.

“Dad” Stiles whined, “Can’t we just skip this trip until next summer? And then skip that summer and the one after that?” Stiles had been persistent in the matter, but his father was remaining obstinate.

“Stop dawdling! You know we visit the Hales every summer.”

“Why?” though Stiles knew the answer though. “Why are we really going back to see Prince Derek? Since it went so well last summer, and the summer before that, and the summer before that. I mean really, why?” Stiles looked at his dad again to see if his powers of persuasion were working, but King William remained steadfast.

“We can’t keep Derek waiting.” The king ran a hand over his brow before he steeled himself. He hated arguing with Stiles—he always ended up slowing agreeing with his son, but this was not something that could be agreed upon. Stiles needed to understand the importance of politics. At least he was trying to be fair by giving Stiles the option to befriend Derek before any marriage betrothals were announced. King William had truly loved his wife despite it being state arranged, but his love for her only compounded his pain through her death. King William loudly announced, “The ship will be leaving at the scheduled time, Genim Stilinski. Hurry up or I will have the guards carry you down here.”

“Ugh, but look, I still have a few books to pack. And I still need to bathe! Don’t you care about my hygiene at all?” Stiles feebly attempted. “And I get sea sick! I’ll have to visit the healers to see about that. You know I always get sea sick on these trips! I think it’s a sign.” Stiles lightly tapped the balcony railing “I would much rather stay here. You know, how about this, you and Queen Uberta just get married? Then you can just leave me here forever and Derek can inherit the throne and marry whoever he wants.”

King William was not at all pleased. “Genim, get down here right now.”

“Why?” Stiles groaned.

\---

“They soon will be arriving, Derek!” Queen Uberta had been moving around the castle all day checking on last minute arrangements. Uberta paused when she saw Derek lounging on his bed. Derek had a look of determination plastered on his face as he shot another arrow across his room directly onto a poorly drawn portrait of Stiles.“Get that picture down now! That is not at all respectful!”

Derek groaned. Derek never understood his mother. While she seemed to know everything about the kingdom, she seemed to carefully ignore his hatred of Stiles. Derek gritted through his teeth, “If I have to kiss his hand again, I swear, I’ll be sick.”

Queen Uberta was not impressed. “Derek, take that picture down. _Now_.”

\---

Stiles took deep calming breaths as he prepared to get off the ship. Well, more normal breaths. He had been having near panic attacks the entire ride over. While he told his father it was sea sickness, it was entirely anxiety. He really did not want to have to spend another summer with Derek. He was conceited and rude. Sure, he was pretty built too—as Stiles’ friend Danny so nicely pointed out when he accompanied him on the last trip—so maybe he could see where the vanity was coming from, but no. At thirteen, puberty hadn’t struck yet for Stiles. It really wasn’t fair. Stiles had to remain steadfast in his hatred of Derek. Stiles decided to peek around again to get a glimpse of Derek, but instead got an eyeful of tomato sludge. Derek and Scott laughed on the dock as Stiles walked toward the carriage.

“Wow, Stiles. That’s such a good look for you,” Derek teased.

Stiles closed his eyes. The ability to maintain his hatred for Derek was going to be a lot easier than he thought as he opened his eyes and glared at him.

\---

“We tried all summer but we just can’t lose him!” Derek groaned. Scott was out of breath, but they had outran Stiles and easily left him behind at the bottom of the stairs. Looking behind him once more, Derek saw Stiles running out of the door.

“Hey, fellas, wait up!” Stiles squeaked. King William had berated Stiles for acting so childish by hiding in the castle throughout the trip. Stiles should be accompanying Derek around the Hale kingdom instead of hiding in the library reading the ancient texts. Stiles wanted to obey his father, but Derek seemed to prefer keeping distance between him and Stiles.

“Quick, put on some speed!” Derek called out to Scott. Scott wasn’t quite sure why Derek hated Stiles so much, but it was easier listening to Derek now instead of dealing with Derek’s anger later.

Once Derek and Scott entered their tree house, they pulled the rope ladder up as fast as possible. Derek and Scott leaned out the window. Stile crossed his arms, pouting on the ground below them.

“Guys, this really isn’t fair!”

Derek thought Stiles was holding back tears and he momentarily regretted being so harsh to Stiles, but he brushed it off. Derek leaned out the window, but looked at Scott as he spoke.

“You think he would get the hint and learn to leave!” Derek looked back at the ground to see Stiles’ reaction. “Can’t you read the sign, Stiles? No girls allowed!”

Stiles clenched his fists and kicked the wooden support beam as hard as possible. Stiles had not expected the beam to budge, but Derek and Scott had built the tree house themselves, and it was poorly constructed. The tree house tumbled down. Stiles rushed to get out of the way, but a board hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

While Queen Uberta and King William were displeased that Derek and Stiles could not be near each other without one of children being bruised, concussions and broken limbs far outranked anything Stiles or Derek had previously done. Neither the King now the Queen allowed the children to explain what happened. Both agreed perhaps the next summer would be better, and King William and Stiles made their way back across the sea.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Derek and walked out of the castle, looking to see if maybe he could somehow avoid having to greet Stiles. Derek was nineteen, and would rather be anywhere else than have to babysit the brat for another summer. Leaning against a great tree by the castle gate, the idea hit him. Derek surveyed the tree before seeing a natural foothold. He easily scaled the tree before choosing to sit on a large branch. Derek laughed when he imagined how upset his mother would be.

Stiles watched the castle appearing in the distance, wondering if there was a possibility to end the trip as quickly as possible. He had a few ideas, but his father would probably figure them all out. His father knew Stiles too well. As they entered the castle gates, Stiles saw Queen Uberta angrily yelling at a tree. He knew madness tended to run in families, but Uberta had always seemed fairly sane, if a little too eager for Stiles and Derek to become betrothed. As their carriage approached, Stiles realized that Derek was up in the tree, smiling and ignoring his mother.

“Oh, that’s really mature” Stiles muttered and rolled his eyes while sinking deeper into the seats.

“Stiles, come on, get out of the carriage.”

King William viewed the situation. Prince Derek up in a tree, and Prince Genim refusing to budge. Yes, this was going to be a very difficult summer. King William sighed. It was easier running a kingdom than it was trying to make these two fall in love. King William reached over to Stiles, grabbing his hand.

“Not moving.”

_“Stiles!”_

“Nope.”

\---

Derek watched across the hallway as Stiles leaned closer toward Lydia, his hand brushing against her hip as he whispered into her ear. Stiles was sixteen now, and while he still had the gangly limbs he always had, he had developed a sort of charm. When Derek finally came down from the tree, he was surprised to see what puberty had done to Stiles. It was annoying to Derek. Whenever Derek refused to go along with Stiles’ plans, Stiles knew how to pout and say the right things to infuriate Derek. Stiles was always right and knew how to make his stupid face do stupid things that made Derek agree to Stiles’ stupid plans that either ended in total success or complete catastrophe. It was impossible. When Derek had happened to walk down the hallway and caught sight of Stiles and Lydia giggling in the corners, he figured he should just stand and observe—not stalk like Laura always said—but observe just to make sure Stiles didn’t do anything reckless.

 A smile erupted on Lydia’s face and she grabbed Stiles hand and pulled him down the hall. Stiles cheered behind her and allowed Lydia to lead him.

“Derek, it’s really rude to stalk people” Laura sing-songed behind him. Derek continued to glare at Stiles and Lydia disappearing behind the corner, but he quickly gave her a death glare when she hit him on the head.

“ It’s just so ridiculous. I saw him flirting with the castle guards this morning—and now he’s flirting with the principal conductor,” Derek sniped.

“Are you sure that’s what’s bugging you? I think you sort of kind of like him, fess up,” Laura remarked, as if she hadn’t been hammering the idea into Derek’s head for the last three years. She was worse than his mother in that regard.

“No! I don’t like him. It just isn’t easy to entertain a guest when he’s entertaining himself doing who knows what with these random people in the shadows of the castle. How can he even really trust that they haven’t been paid to kill him?” Derek fumed.

Laura eyed Derek warily before her grin reappeared, “Oh, so would you rather it be you entertaining him in the dark shadows of the castle?”  If they had been younger, Derek might have tried to hit her, though she always had the upper hand when it came to fighting—Stiles always told Laura the best ways to hit Derek in the head and knock him out cold. For Stiles not being a very good swordsman, he still seemed to know Derek’s weak points well enough. Stiles’ friendship with Laura was too much for Derek. They were too good at the art of manipulation and deception.

“No, I would rather nobody be going into the shadows,” Derek scoffed. “Anyways, don’t you have to go get ready for your marriage? You are leaving tomorrow?”

Derek still felt guilty about her impending marriage. As she was the oldest, she should be inheriting the throne. Derek’s mother had agreed to the marriage as it was the most politically sound argument. Derek thought Laura should fight her betrothal, but she simply argued that if she refused, then Derek would merely be swapped in her place, which Laura told him would be ridiculous. Her fiancé couldn’t give birth to any heirs and neither could Derek whereas she and Stiles both could. It would be silly to reassign the marriages in such a way. She furthered her argument by telling him that she could also never marry Derek’s true love. Derek simply squawked that he wasn’t in love with Stiles, but Laura had simply given him a knowing look before walking away and letting him dwell in his thoughts.  

“Well, the servants are doing all the packing, so come along with me. Let me at least spend some quality time with my baby brother!”

Derek sighed. “Alright.”

“And then you can go stalk Stiles the rest of the summer,” she laughed as Derek began fuming once more.

\---

Derek had been having a winning streak at cards before Scott lead Stiles into the room.

“Scott, I’m so glad you found him!” Laura patted the chair next to her, “Stiles, come sit down next to me.” Derek rolled his eyes while Stiles preened under Laura’s attention. Derek imagined Stiles loved the attention. He assumed Stiles probably imagined how his life would be with Laura if Derek had gotten the betrothals swapped. Derek huffed into his cards. Scott looked nervous standing by Stiles, but then again he was always nervous. And clumsy. Derek really didn’t understand how he managed to have Scott for a friend, but he was the only person who had managed to withstand Derek’s temper throughout the years, and he was just as eager to pick on Stiles at Derek’s command.  Or he had been. Recently Derek had found Stiles and Scott sneaking out at night. What trouble they got up to still eluded him, but Derek was determined to find out.

After a few games, Laura was called away to speak with Queen Uberta. “Stay here, you three. I will be right back.” Laura eyed Derek before leaving the room. Derek waited a few minutes before he kicked Stiles in the shin, causing him to wince.

“Stop cheating!”

“I’m not! I can’t help it if you suck at playing cards. I win every game because you’re so horrible. Do you even know there’s a difference between the face cards and the number cards?”

Derek glared at Stiles.

“Gah, don’t be such a sour puss.” Stiles mumbled into the cards. Derek looked up at Scott and nodded his head toward Stiles, hoping Scott would get the hint. Scott’s brow furrowed before his eyes lit up, and he walked behind Stiles’ chair. Stiles was still staring intently at his cards. Scott held up seven fingers, pointing downward, and then shook his head. Derek smirked, assured that Stiles had a poor hand.

“Four sevens and a ten” Derek magnanimously laid down his cards.

“Oh man. Well, I think I won again” Stiles snorted. Stiles looked up at Scott, “Wow, Scott, that is some excellent sleuthing work there.”

“Hey! I put up the right numbers! Derek was the one who couldn’t figure it out” squeaked Scott. Scott and Stiles shared a look before turning their smirks on Derek.

Derek leapt up on his feet to see Stiles’ cards, refusing to believe he lost another game.

“This certainly is my idea of fun” Stiles laughed.

“Well, this isn’t my idea of fun” Derek slouched down in his chair, ignoring Stiles’ pleased look.

\---

Derek accompanied Stiles in the carriage on the last day of Stiles’ trip. Queen Uberta and King William thought it would be good for bonding. Scott had laughed at Derek’s luck before he charged ahead on his horse, happy to be free from Derek’s brooding for the day.

Derek looked ahead to the road as Stiles sprawled out on the left of him. Derek crossed his arms as Stiles took up an inordinate amount of space as Stiles tried to fall asleep.

“When did you and Scott become such good friends?”

Stiles raised his head slightly off his shoulder before opening his eyes. Peering through his lashes, he finally responded. “Oh you know, Scott and I have always been friends. Best friends one might even say.” Stiles broke out in laughter when Derek’s jaw clenched. “I’m just kidding, sour puss! But what, am I supposed to apologize that Scott and I share a number of interests? It’s not my fault if your underlings prefer to spend their time with me. And not to mention, he likes my trusty knight Allison. You’ve met her. Scott trails behind me if it means he gets to casually bump into her. Apparently she’s high up in the Argent family, but well, she’s nothing like them. Though she does fight better than anyone I know.”

“Obviously you haven’t seen me fight.”

“I have, and trust me, she is much, much better at a bow and arrow than you.” Stiles stretched in his seat, sitting up to wave at the crowds that had come to see Prince Derek and Prince Stiles. “I love my adoring fans. I’m pretty sure they all come out to see me. You’re too gloom and doom for their tastes.” Derek rolled his eyes before hitting Stiles in the back of the head. Stiles clutched his head, groaning, “See, this is why we’re never getting married, ever.” Derek returned to clenching his jaw. The rest of the ride remained in silence.

Derek refused to get out of the carriage when it finally reached the docks. Stiles promptly jumped off to talk with Scott. Derek continued brooding, but he could hear Stiles and Scott laughing about something. The crowd’s level of noise rose as the Stilinski royal family boarded the ship, and Derek thought he could sneak a glance at Stiles before he left; however, a tomato smashed straight into Derek’s head. Derek could hear Stiles’ laughter ring louder over the crowds. Derek wiped the sludge off his face before he saw Stiles tossing a slingshot to Scott. Scott’s smirk immediately disappeared, but before Derek could get out of his seat, Queen Uberta placed a hand on Derek.

“Sweetheart, how silly of you boys” she laughed.

Derek wanted to rip Scott to shreds, but Scott scrambled up onto his horse and galloped away. He would be severely punished when Derek got home.


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles wandered around his room, annoyed that he had to spend yet another summer with Prince Derek. It was a fruitless endeavor. Stiles couldn’t stand Derek’s temper and immaturity and Derek couldn’t stand Stiles at all. At least this time Stiles was able to persuade his father into bringing companions along once again. Realizing that maybe a few familiar faces would possibly make Stiles feel less out of place, King William agreed. Danny and Jackson, both the sons of lords would accompany him.

Allison watched Stiles from where she sat on the floor. “Stiles, why are you so resistant to going?”

Stiles looked at Allison in derision. “Have you seen Derek? It’s no fun going to that castle. There’s nobody to talk to, nobody to be friendly with—well for me at least. You know, I’ve seen the way you look at Scott.” Allison blushed at that. “And I’ve seen the way he looks at you, although that’s probably because other than Lydia, you’re the only female he’s ever seen. I’m pretty sure he only practices sword fighting and bow and arrow to impress you. But he fails at it. You’re by far a better warrior than he is. He’s already a klutz, but then he sees you and just falls apart. It’s disgusting how lovely that is. And look! I have to live vicariously through you now!” Stiles scrunched his face up.

“Stiles.”

“What?”

“We have to leave now.”

“Ha, funny. Nope. Not leaving. I’m eighteen. I should be able to decide who to marry instead of being forced to like someone. You like Scott and I’m sure nobody will be able to change your mind if you decide to marry him or not. I don’t like Derek. I don’t want to marry Derek, and yet nobody seems to care.” Stiles threw his hands in the air. Allison smiled pityingly at Stiles, but despite being a knight ordered to protect Stiles, she had to adhere to King William’s schedule. Hastily she grabbed Stiles’ arms and led him out the door. “Hey! No fair! You’re going to give me bruises. I can already see the making of one. Allison, no!”

\---

Derek huffed as he was shoved into the empty banquet hall by his mother. He really didn’t see why he had to marry Stiles. All his mother’s pushing and Laura’s annoying hints over the years had actually served to make sure Derek did not want Stiles. Stiles, the prince with the funny name who had gangly limbs and who was perpetually awkward. Surely Derek could find someone better. A better prince or princess. Someone who moved gracefully instead of falling over all the time. Someone who didn’t make fun of Derek, constantly pointing out all his flaws.

Derek glowered at the door before he heard the other door across the hall slam shut. Facing the wall was another male. He was tall with long limbs and had a delicate grace. He turned around and Derek realized it was Stiles. Stiles’ eyes met Derek’s, anger slowly leaking out. A small smile appeared on Stiles’ face and Derek was eager to return it.

Derek crossed the room to meet Stiles, unsure of how he was moving. Derek could not believe how much Stiles had changed. He started out as such an ugly duckling and somehow suddenly became a swan. Stiles raised his hand up to his head to run a hand through his hair before he realized his etiquette.

Stiles coughed as he bowed, “So happy to be here.”

Derek couldn’t remember a time when Stiles was actually pleased to be in Derek’s presence. After a while, Derek realized he had been staring and offered out his hand. He could hear other people filing into the room and music playing, but somehow all his attention was focused solely on Stiles. Moving forward, he placed his left hand on Stiles’ side and with his right hand he clasped Stiles’ hand. Derek kept his eyes open in bewilderment at the boy with bright doe eyes as they danced around the room. Derek could not understand when exactly Stiles had changed from the awkward gangly boy that trailed behind him and Scott to this new creature. Leaning forward, Derek placed a kiss on Stiles’ lips.   

“Arrange the marriage!” Derek shouted once their lips separated. The room erupted in cheers and boisterous music began playing. Stiles looked at the floor in confusion as if he had somehow missed something. Looking all over the room and not finding an answer, he narrowed his eyes on Derek.

“Wait.”

Derek couldn’t remember if his heart was what skipped a beat or the music, but he looked back at Stiles in exasperation “What? You’re all I ever wanted—you’re beautiful,” Derek blurted. Stiles looked even more confused.

“Uh, thank you,” Stiles coughed, “but what else?”

“What else?” At this Stiles looked a little angry.

“Is beauty all that matters to you?” Stiles ignored King William’s vehement head shake. Stiles was going to have some answers. One little kiss couldn’t suddenly change the fact that Derek teased Stiles for the last twelve years. Maybe it all made sense to Derek, but Stiles needed to know what exactly changed to make Derek act so impulsively.

“Derek, what else?” Queen Uberta gently prompted, hoping Derek would get the hint.

Derek looked between his mother and Stiles before shaking his head “What else is there?”

Derek scowled when he saw Lydia making a thumbs down sign at him. Before he could yell at her, he heard his mother begin to cry and he saw the look of disappointment spread over Stiles’ face.

\---

“Derek, really, do you want me to spend my life searching for another match?” Derek had been berated before by his mother, but the pounding in his head was enough to make him slump over.

“Mother, I wanted to arrange the marriage. Stiles backed out!”

“Honestly, Derek, you weren’t answering a trick question.” Queen Uberta twisted her handkerchief in her hands, exasperated by her son. “How are you going to lead a country if you can’t even understand someone else’s heart?”

Derek spread out his hands, about to disagree with his mother, but King William and Stiles approached them at the castle gates. Both were already on their horses, ready to set out for their home. Derek’s shoulders slumped and he crossed his arms. He didn’t understand why Stiles had been so stubborn. Derek knew Stiles always had a crush on him when they were younger. Once again Derek realized that he didn’t understand Stiles at all.

“Stiles, say goodbye,” King William prompted his son. Stiles lifted his head, not ready to meet Derek’s eyes.

“Goodbye, Prince Derek.”

Derek returned his gaze to the floor.

“ _Derek_.”

“Goodbye, prince.” Derek replied curtly as he watched Stiles leave, upset that he couldn’t figure out why Stiles had decided to refuse Derek’s offer of marriage.

“All these years of planning, wasted!”

Derek let out a breath of air he didn’t realize he was holding, but the guilt slowly crept in.

\---

Stiles focused on the darkening sky outside the window of the carriage. He had never tried to disappoint his father, but he felt like he failed him miserably. Danny and Jackson sat in the seats across from Stiles and his father, and Stiles tried to make as little eye contact with them as possible. Danny had tried to persuade Stiles to change his mind, but Stiles shoved him away.  

“I just don’t understand, Stiles. What did you want Derek to say?” King William implored. His father looked haggard. He had always been so sure that Stiles would one day agree to marry Derek. Perhaps he should have urged Stiles more as Queen Uberta had told him, but King William never saw the need to pressure Stiles. King William knew Stiles preferred to do things at his own pace. But now King William would have to negotiate and find another candidate for Stiles to marry.

Stiles wanted to tell his father how he wanted Derek to tell him that he loved Stiles. That he loved everything about Stiles, like how Stiles had realized he liked everything about Derek since he was twelve years old. But that would show his true colors too much. Stiles would rather his father not find out about his ridiculous crush on Derek. Derek, who only liked Stiles once he got over his awkward phase—and Stiles wasn’t even sure if he was really over that phase. Stiles leaned into the cushions, grateful when his father dropped the topic. Stiles toyed with the heart shaped necklace he always wore. It had a triskelion design on it, the symbol of the Hales. When he was little, it had merely been a gift from the Hale family, but then as he got older it became a constant reminder that he would one day marry Derek, as if he had already been claimed, branded, and betrothed. Stiles touched the necklace and it felt hot against his skin. He snapped the necklace off, but the carriage lurched and the necklace slipped between his fingers as he tumbled toward the floor.

“Stay here, Stiles.”

Stiles grabbed his father’s hand before he opened the door. His father tensed before he gripped Stiles’ shoulder. “Stay right here, Stiles.” King William looked out the carriage to see a cloaked figure standing in the middle of the road. Harsh light stung his eyes and he squinted to see the man remove his hood. King William scanned his memory, trying to remember the man’s face.

“William, you don’t remember me? I thought I had made more of an impression. Though it has been, oh seventeen years.”

King William grimaced, realizing it was the enchanter he had banished so long ago. “Stand down, Peter. We don’t want to hurt you. We have no desire to provoke the Hale family with your death.” Peter tilted his head to the side.

“William, I made a promise to you, and I have come to collect. You do remember it, right? Everything you love will be mine.” King William ordered his knights to attack, but suddenly Peter changed before his eyes. A flash of light burst through the sky and Peter’s body contorted while bones rearranged. Fur and fangs appeared and the monstrous beast leapt toward them.

\---

“ ‘What else is there?’ Derek, are you so stupid!?” Lydia yelled at Derek.

“I know, it was stupid.” Derek paced around the room, unable to sit and focus lest he see the image of Stiles’ face rejecting his proposal once again. Lydia threw her book at Derek’s head. Derek rounded on her, but Lydia held her ground.

“You couldn’t think of anything else to say to describe him. Are you really that shallow? If you are, then I guess you really don’t deserve him.”

“I’m not shallow!” Derek huffed. “It’s just, well, he’s well you know. And then,” Derek sighed, realizing he still couldn’t find the right words. “I mean, how do you describe him?” Derek looked over to see if Lydia had been able to understand his dilemma.

Lydia and Scott snorted, equally unimpressed. Scott raised up a king chess piece. “Did you not hear me, Derek? Checkmate. I won!” Scott laughed, smirking in Derek’s direction. “Look, Derek. Twice in one day you lost your king.” Derek grabbed the chess game, throwing it into the wall.

“I don’t know.” Derek hunched over the table. “But I will marry Stiles. I’ll prove my love.” Lydia worried her lip before she tentatively placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder.

A raucous noise erupted and Derek leapt up, determined to leave his feelings behind. Reaching the castle entryway, one of the knights escorting King William and Prince Stiles had fallen to the ground. The knight’s cape was shredded and blood seeped through his armor.

“What happened?” Derek gripped the knight. The knight gasped for air as Derek herded him toward the infirmary.

“A great beast attacked us.” Derek’s heart clenched. He immediately released his grasp and ran toward the stables. Scott lunged for the knight and pulled him back up.

“Where are you going?” Scott called out after him.

“I have to find Stiles!”

“What if the beast is still there!?” Derek didn’t respond. If the great beast was still there, he would kill it. Derek urged his horse to go faster, but even at a gallop, Derek felt like he was going too slow. The sight of the overturned carriage and strewn bodies made Derek panic. Stiles’ body could be among them. Derek pushed the thought out of his mind as he saw King William’s body.

“Derek.” King William weakly raised his arm. “Derek, it was a great beast.” King William groaned as he tried to move.

“Don’t, don’t move.” Derek looked around before focusing again on the king. “Where’s Stiles?”

“Stiles? He’s...he’s gone.” Derek ran to the carriage, but only found Stiles’ necklace lying on the ground. “Derek,” the king weakly called out, “Derek, the great beast. The great beast is not what it appears.” Seeing no sign of Stiles, Derek rushed back to the king, lifting him and gently placing him on his horse with him. Derek could do nothing for Stiles, but King William needed to see the healers.


	5. Chapter 5

The moon was slowly rising in the dark sky, casting an an eerie light on the lake and illuminating the forest.

“Now, now, Stiles, don’t be upset with me” the enchanter spoke to a swan. The swan continued to swim around gloomily on the lake. “Look, the spell doesn’t even last the whole day.” At that the swan looked up at the sky. A swirling of color spun around the swan, momentarily hiding it from view. When the color vanished, Stiles was left standing in the lake. Stiles trudged out of the lake, irritated by the water soaking through his pants. The light surrounding the lake became much brighter, and Stiles shielded his eyes with his hand. The dark scenery was now cloaked in bright sunlight, appearing as if midday.

“Now, now, don’t be upset with me. Seeing you in this much pain brings me no such pleasure.”

Stiles scowled at Peter.

“Well, perhaps it does bring me a tiny bit of pleasure. But really, this could all be over once I have your father’s kingdom. You just have to say yes to my proposal.” Peter walked toward Stiles. “I’ve found that once you steal something, you spend your whole life trying to keep it. It makes for taking a kingdom forcefully very tricky. However, a marriage to the only heir to the throne will ensure the legality of the entire situation. So now,” Peter paused as he approached Stiles, “unless you prefer to stay a swan, your knight in shining armor has come to set you free.” Peter leaned close toward Stiles, backing him up against a tree. “Now, I’ll ask you once more. Will you marry me?”

Stiles let out a breath of air. “Every night you ask the same questions. And every night I give you the same answers. Should I say it in Spanish? Maybe in German or Latin? The answer is still going to be no.”

“How long do you suppose you can say refuse my offer? You’re lying to yourself if you think you can live as a swan forever,” Peter spewed vehemently.

“I’d rather die first.” Stiles turned to walk away.

“This is really starting to annoy me,” Peter roared, pressing Stiles back against the tree.

“I would think you would be used to it. Just seeing your whole existence, I would assume you’re pretty used to rejection.”

“You will marry me. Just wait.”

“I’m not marrying you! And I’m not giving you my father’s kingdom. Trying to kill my father definitely isn’t incentive to want to marry you.” Stiles still wasn’t sure how his father was doing. He hoped he survived, but the last time he saw his father there was a large amount of blood staining the front of his shirt. The fact that Peter spared his friends’ lives was only Peter’s vague attempt at being generous after Stiles had pleaded with him—and Peter turned even that “gift” into a backhanded gesture. Danny and Allison seemed grateful to be alive despite being tiny woodland creatures, but Jackson balked after being turned into a frog. Stiles averted his eyes away from Peter’s predatory glare, but his back was against the tree, leaving him with no escape as Peter placed his hands on either side of him.

“I can be very persuasive, Stiles.” Peter leaned his body onto Stiles’ as he moved his hand to Stiles’ front. “Don’t make me persuade you.” Peter’s other hand moved behind Stiles’ head while the one on Stiles’ front slid into Stiles’ pants. Stiles gasped and attempted to move away, but he was pinned against the tree by Peter’s magic. Peter brought his down on Stiles’ cock, encircling it before he proceeded to stroke it. Tears fell from Stiles’ eyes when Peter refused to stop until Stiles came.  Stiles’ let out a sob as Peter whispered into Stiles’ ear, “Perhaps tomorrow night you’ll reconsider my offer.”  Dropping Stiles cock, Peter delicately pressed his lips against Stiles’ and walked away, vanishing the enchanted sunlight and garden with a wave of his hand.

Stiles let out short gasps of air as he walked toward the lake, collapsing into the water before turning back into a swan once more.

Allison rushed over to Stiles, flapping her wings in the air tentatively. Allison still had difficulty controlling her body as a Puffin, but she realized that her wings impeded any possibility of a hug while trying to fly in the air. Allison dropped down to the water’s surface and neared Stiles.

“Oh, Stiles,” she tried to console, pressing her head against Stiles’ wing in an attempt to hug. Silently she cursed Peter for turning her into a bird with such awkward wings. She hated Peter more than she hated anyone in her entire life. She had been sworn to protect Stiles, and yet every night she had been helpless while Peter took advantage of him. Allison leaned closer, but Stiles merely dipped his head beneath his other wing, preventing Allison from seeing any more of his tears.

\---

“Where’s Derek?” Scott looked flustered, but Lydia took pity on him.

“Researching again about the ‘ _great beast_ ,’” Lydia emphasized dramatically. She had other matters to attend to and didn’t see how Derek’s research would help him.

For a week, Derek had been sure that Stiles’ disappearance must have been a conspiracy. Allison Argent and Stiles’ “friends” Danny and Jackson had been missing from the wreckage along with Stiles. Derek was so certain of it that Laura felt it necessary to visit her brother, telling him that Allison’s parents were equally concerned, as neither knew of her whereabouts.

Laura pleaded for him to look at all the evidence. Kate Argent’s death had sparked a war between the Hale and the Argent kingdom due to rash thinking. However, Kate had certainly been killed by a great animal, as their father had been killed by it. King’s William’s wounds bore the same resemblance to those two attacks. Laura left when she felt Derek would not try to start another war, but now the idea had been planted in Derek’s mind that these attacks were all connected.

Scott found Derek behind a pile of books in the library. While Derek had been well educated, he preferred to spend his time outside. In fact, Scott had only visited the castle’s library when Stiles came to visit, and that was because Stiles always seemed to have something fascinating to share within the books’ pages. Scott doubted Derek found the same enjoyment at reading through all the books as Stiles did.

“Perhaps, maybe, we should go practice outside? I’m pretty sure the training grounds have been calling your name.”

Derek glanced up at Scott’s feeble attempt to get Derek to regain normalcy. Derek returned his gaze to the fine print. It mentioned of an animal that could change from one beast to another. Appearing innocent as a mouse one moment, and then turning into a dragon the next.

“I think this is the great animal, Scott.”

Scott leaned over the table before raising an eyebrow at Derek.

“You think a mouse is the great animal?”

“No, Scott.” Derek rolled his eyes. “The animal can change shapes. It appears harmless as a butterfly and then changes shape when it wants to attack. See, ‘it’s not what it appears.’ ” Derek prided himself that the days of research had finally given him something useful. “So yes, let’s practice outside.” Scott grinned while Derek grabbed the book to take with him. “I think we should train with the bow and arrow today.”

\---

Had Scott not seen Lydia walking down the hall, he might not have called out to her. And then he might not have bragged to her about his skills. And then he wouldn’t have been tricked into doing a game of catching fire. Unfortunately, Scott had seen Lydia and now she was currently tying an apple onto his head with a ribbon.

“Don’t forget, Scott, aim directly for his heart.”

Derek laughed from across the training yard. “Come on, Scott. You did say you were a pro at this game.”

Scott cursed under his breath and fumbled with his bow and arrow, knees shaking. If he missed, the arrow might fatally wound Derek, and surely there was little mercy for accidentally killing the prince while training. No pressure. Scott squeaked as the arrow was released, aiming for Derek’s back. At the last minute Derek turned, catching the arrow and firing it back toward Scott. The arrow zoomed above Scott’s head and split the apple in half. Lydia easily caught one half of the apple, taking a bite of it before glancing back at Scott.

“Imagine! If that arrow had been even an inch lower, it might have gone straight through the opening in your armor. Imagine, that arrow would’ve gone straight through your eye and into your brain. You’d be dead instantly.” Lydia mused as she took another bite of the apple. “Well done, Derek!”

Scott’s knees buckled and he made direct contact with the ground. At least it was safer down here where no arrows flew at his head.


	6. Chapter 6

 

“Jackson, this is the stupidest idea you’ve ever come up with.” Danny peered at Jackson’s makeshift pole vault. The flimsy willows would barely hold Jackson’s weight, even if he was a frog.

“Danny, think about it. Stiles is being so picky about this whole situation! How will he ever get some freaking vow of everlasting love? But remember the story about the princess kissing the frog and the frog becoming human? This might be able to fix it just like that. Once I’m human, I can go get help so we can defeat Peter and then we all can go home.” Jackson firmly planted his contraption into the ground. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some wooing to do.”

Danny plopped down onto the ground. Despite being a turtle, he wasn’t as slow as his friend. “Jackson, how do you plan on getting back from the other side of the lake once you have those flowers?”

The tiny frog bounced in the air, jumping away from the alligators that infested the lake. Jackson clung desperately to the willow reeds before suddenly stopping in midair. Jackson opened his eyes to see he was face to face with the human form of Stiles. Stiles plucked the tiny frog off the reeds before sitting down on the ground.

“Jackson, what the heck are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed? You do realize that there are alligators in the water. Alligators! Fuck. It’s a miracle we’re still alive.” Stiles shook his head before setting Jackson onto the ground.

Danny chuckled. “He thought that if—“

“Shush, Danny!” Jackson turned back to Stiles. “I was just trying to get those flowers for you.”

Stiles eyed Jackson warily. “Yeah, because that’s not suspicious at all. You’re still hung up on the story of the frog and the princess? You do realize that even if that story was true, it wouldn’t work in this situation. That’s a cure for an entirely different spell. You’re not going to become human just because I kiss you.”

“I’ve kissed you before, and I know you thought it was pretty good.”

“That was different! We weren’t magically enchanted by some creeper.”

“But my kiss will break the spell!”

“Give it up, Jackson,” Danny sighed.

 “Your idea won’t work. They’re two different spells with two different cures.” Stiles toyed with a loose thread on his shirt. “I can only kiss the person I love and then they must prove it to the world with a vow of everlasting love.”

“What do you think I was trying to do with the flowers!?” Jackson jumped up and down, but it only made Stiles laugh at the image in front of him.

“Just give it up, Jackson,” Danny groaned. “You may think you’re everyone’s type, but we all know Stiles is in love with Derek.”

“I-I’m not in love with Derek!” Stiles looked up in shock. “You’re just saying that because you think his proposal meant something. It didn’t. It was just some spur of the moment thing.”

“Ugh, well he better be in love with you, or else we’ll be stuck like this forever.” Jackson flopped onto the ground, annoyed with his friends. “At least I’m trying to get us out of this mess! I don’t see any of you coming up with any better ideas.”

“We do have a better solution.” Allison fluttered down to the ground. “We need to steal a map from Peter. If we have a map, then Stiles and I can fly back to the castle—“

“One problem, if we’re birds, nobody can hear us speak,” Stiles pointed out.

“How do you understand us when you’re a human then?” Danny questioned.

“Well I am a freaking swan during the day! Maybe residual effects? I don’t know. Though I have tried speaking to the other woodland creatures, and none of them seem to be able to converse with me,” Stiles replied.

“Maybe they can but they just can’t handle the sound of your voice,” Jackson offered.

Allison’s feathers ruffled for a moment. “Well, then we’ll fly back to the castle at dusk. We just need to get someone to follow us back to the lake, and then when the moonlight touches your wings, you’ll turn back into a swan and you can tell them to get help.  It’s perfect!” Allison preened with excitement.

“Sorry to foil another plan, but how do you expect to steal a map? For all we know Peter is inside his castle at any given time.” Stiles felt awful being the bearer of bad news, but really, how was it possible that all their plans had huge flaws. It was getting ridiculous. Allison slowly looked up at Stiles, realizing that there was a way to keep Peter out of the castle. “Right, so I get to distract the evil enchanter through various nonconsensual activities while you most likely have a heroic team bonding exercise? Fine, whatever.” Stiles walked away, leaving Allison, Danny, and Jackson with their guilt.

Allison felt a rush of shame, but they had no better way to distract the enchanter. Peter tolerated their presence, but he was a clever man and wasn’t above killing them if they got in his way.

 “Hurry up, we have to get out of Peter’s castle before the moon leaves the sky,” Allison urged the two.

\---

Derek had set out that morning to avoid anymore of his mother’s looks. His mother refused to let Derek continue on with his search for Stiles. While she found it honorable, she also believed it was entirely impractical. Even if Derek found Stiles, there was no chance Stiles would change his mind about Derek’s proposal. Derek needed to find someone else to marry that would benefit the kingdom.

Derek angrily took Scott with him out into the wilderness, hoping to somehow track the great animal and find Stiles. The treetops cast a shadow over Derek and Scott as they walked through the forest. They had been trying to follow a trail that lead out from the wreckage of the Stilinski carriage, but it was a strange trail that consisted of only one set of footprints, or well, of boot prints. After a few hours of walking, Scott promptly fell to the ground.

“Derek, this trail is going nowhere!”

 “Stay here then,” Derek gritted out. He refused to ease up on this trail. It was the only clue he had that would lead them to Stiles.

\---  

Stiles and Allison had been flying in the air before his wings started to tire. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Stiles inquired.

“I’m positive!” Allison sighed. “We’re going in the right direction. Just look down, there’s the mountains, and over there is the river that crosses through the Hale kingdom and—“

“There’s Derek!” Stiles yelled.

“What?” Allison peered to the forest floor, nearly panicking when she saw Derek below. “Oh gosh! Oh my gosh! Okay, well let’s stick to the plan! Focus! We get his attention and then he follows us, agreed?” Allison rushed out, worried that Stiles would make a huge error, but Stiles was still flying next to her.

“Agreed.”

Stiles and Allison ducked into forest. Stiles flew toward Derek, hoping that if he irritated Derek enough, the man would give chase. Stiles flew toward Derek’s bow in an attempt to steal it away and start the pursuit, but he was knocked down to the ground by Allison.

“Didn’t you see!? He was aiming straight at you,” Allison furtively whispered as she ducked her head out of the bushes. “We have to get away fast.”

Allison and Stiles flew up into the air, unsure of their predicament.

“What’s going on, Allison?”

“I don’t know!”

Another arrow shot up into the air, narrowly missing Allison’s wing.

“Allison! What do we do?”

Allison’s wings puffed out a bit. “We fly toward the sun.”

_“What!?”_

“Fly toward the sun! It’ll blind him and he won’t be able to get a clear shot of us!”

Stiles nodded, but he wasn’t sure if that would stop Derek. Derek was running on the ground just as fast as they were flying. Stiles flew faster as he followed Allison’s path.

“Oh no!”

Stiles returned his gaze back toward Allison.

“What?” but Stiles realized why Allison was panicking. The sun was slowly setting, which would mean Derek would easily spot them in the sky. “Into the trees!”

“Follow me!” Allison dove down back into the forest, landing sloppily on a tree branch.

“Now what, Allison? We need to think of something quick, or else we’re dead meat. Literally!” Stiles cringed and stopped himself before his thinking went down that path.

“Well,” Allison smiled ruefully, “in the case of no escape, it’s always best to play dead.” Stiles watched as Allison grabbed a handful of berries and crushed them to her chest. “Just wait for the cue,” she whispered before she crashed down to the forest floor.

Derek paused his actions as he heard a loud thud. A tiny puffin sputtered on the floor. Derek walked closer to it, aiming his arrow at its heart. The tiny bird was bleeding, but it seemed unwise to be unarmed. Derek walked closer, but before he noticed the absence of an arrow in the bird’s body, the tiny bird bit his foot, causing him to fall backward in pain.

Stiles and Allison continued on their path toward the lake, but this time there was a larger amount of distance between them and Derek. Finally Stiles saw the lake, but instead of landing in the moonlit water, he landed on a nearby rock.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Stiles groaned.

“What? Why not?” Allison questioned. “This is a good plan! It’ll work!”

“This is your chance, Stiles,” Danny interrupted.

“More like my chance to get killed! Did you see Derek? He keeps trying to put an arrow through my heart!” Stiles shrieked.

“Please, Stiles. We know you love him. This could be our chance to become human,” Danny pleaded.

Stiles relented and flew back toward the lake, landing on the moon’s reflection in the water. Stiles waited for the moon to change him, but nothing happened. Panicking, Stiles saw the moon had been covered by clouds. Stiles moved his wings to lift off the water, but paused when he heard the crunch of leaves. Derek steadied his bow and aimed at Stiles. Stiles froze, unable to make a decision, but Allison dove, hitting Derek squarely in the face and knocking his bow to the ground. Before Stiles had a chance to think, he felt magic coursing through his veins, transforming him back into his human self. Stiles raised his head, afraid to meet Derek’s gaze.

After chasing the swan, Derek had not expected to see if transform before his eyes. Derek waited for Stiles to look at him but seeing Stiles making no efforts to make eye contact, Derek raced forward, ignoring the coldness of the water to wrap his arms around Stiles. Derek hugged Stiles tightly, and Stiles felt tears fall down his face as Derek herded Stiles out of the lake.

“Hurry up, let’s go back to the castle!”

“No. I can’t go back.” Stiles tugged his hand out of Derek’s grasp. “Once the moonlight leaves the lake, I’ll just turn back into a swan.”

Derek paused, unsure what to make of that. “Who did this to you?”

“An enchanter. But you have to go soon! Now! He’ll be here any moment.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“You sort of have to. The enchanter will kill you. Allison and I only got your attention so you could bring back help. But you have to go now!” Stiles tried pushing Derek away from the lake and into the forest. Peter would be there any minute, and he would be furious seeing someone attempting to help Stiles escape.

“There must be some way to break the spell. You can’t just stay a swan forever.”

Stiles looked up at Derek, eyes bright before appearing blank. “Oh well, the spell… well the spell can be broken,” Stiles mumbled the last part, “by a vow of everlasting love.”

“Then I’ll do it. I’ll make a vow of everlasting love.”

“Really, Derek, it’s not necessary. You don’t need to do that for me. You would have to prove it to the world.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know. But you have to leave now, seriously!” Stiles needed to make sure Derek left safely. Grand gestures of love could be pondered over after Derek was safe and sound in his castle.

“Stop it, Stiles. Come to the ball tomorrow night, and I will announce it to the entire kingdom.” Derek reached into his pocket, pulling out Stiles’ necklace. Derek held it for a moment longer before placing it back around Stiles’ neck. “Please.”

Stiles stared at Derek before he finally nodded his head. “Okay.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone forgot the ending of Swan Princess, it ends in fluff. Just putting that out there in case anyone panics.

Stiles watched Derek retreat into the forest. Stiles needed to find a way to be at Derek’s castle the next night as a human. He needed to break the spell, if only for Danny, Allison, and Jackson’s sake. They shouldn’t have to suffer for all of Stiles’ insecurities. Derek had to like Stiles for more than just his looks. Nobody offers to make a vow of everlasting love without honestly liking the other person’s character traits. Footsteps behind him broke Stiles out of his thoughts. Stiles turned to see Peter looming.

“You’re out of the lake quick tonight. Have something to share?”

Stiles’ heart skipped. Peter couldn’t possibly know that Derek was just here. It’s not like Peter had super strong hearing.

“Um, I-I’m,” Stiles licked his lips as he tried to think of a reason why after so long of refusing to get out of the lake until Peter pestered him, it would seem that Stiles was waiting for Peter. “I’m ready to accept your proposal.”

Peter smiled, his eyes lingering on Stiles lips. “Interesting.”

“What?”

“You’re finally ready to marry me, and yet look, what’s this around your neck?” Peter’s hands gently tugged on the heart-shaped necklace before pulling it over Stiles’ head. “How unique of a design. Triskelion.” Peter turned the necklace over in his hands. “Wherever did you get this?”

Stiles tried to steady his breathing. “I found it. Allison and I flew too far away.”

“Indeed.” Peter fixed his stare back at Stiles. “Did you also find that bow? Or did Derek just decide it would spruce the place up?” Stiles looked to where Peter pointed. Of course Derek forgot to take it with him. Stiles mentally kicked himself. “You see, Stiles, I’m always one step ahead.” Stiles tried to grab the necklace back, but Peter gripped his wrist as he pulled him toward the castle.

Stiles tried yanking himself free. “You can’t keep me as a prisoner here forever.”

“You’re right. I will be terribly sad when Derek makes his vow of love to the wrong person tomorrow. The spell will kill you when that happens. And it had been so nice having you around.”

Stiles’ brain tried to comprehend what Peter was saying. There was no way Derek would make a vow to the wrong person. He allowed Peter to lead him through the castle before he remembered his surroundings. “I’m going to be there tomorrow. You can’t stop me.”

Peter tilted his head. “Again, you’re right. If you manage to find some way out of the dungeon, then I can’t stop you. But it won’t matter, as there will be no moon tomorrow, meaning no transformation.” Peter smiled as he pushed Stiles off the ledge and into a pit of water. “It hurts me to lock you up, Stiles, but then, a king’s day is full of tough decisions.”

Stiles cursed after his head emerged from the freezing water. However, he only had a moment to express his anger in words before changing back into a swan.

“Now you’re mad at me again. Well, I’m not happy unless you’re happy. I should bring the party to you. First you’ll need a man. The prince will be busy of course, but I can arrange a substitute.” Peter moved away from the door for a moment. He returned with Scott, throwing him down into the water with Stiles. “Poor fellow, he got lost in the woods.” Stiles helped Scott grab onto a chain to hold onto before glaring at Peter.

“Don’t give me that look! Had to be sneaky, didn’t you? Had to drag that weakling prince into it, didn’t you? Well that’s just fine with me.” Peter slammed the door shut, leaving Stiles and Scott trapped.

\---

Boyd watched Derek out of the side of his eye. He had been ordered to guard Derek tonight, but the knight kept giving him judgmental looks all day long. Derek was growing tired of it.

“What?”

“You’re really allowing your mother to put on this party? Isn’t it intended to find you a spouse?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to your mission to find Stiles?”

“There was a minor impediment.”

“You think he’s dead, don’t you.”

“ _No_.” Derek looked around the hallway. Scott had managed to evade him the entire day. Derek wanted to discuss what he found out with him. “Where’s Scott?”

“I don’t know. Nobody has seen him since yesterday. I would be more concerned, but the scullery maid Erica, the one Isaac has been courting, went missing as well. Nobody has seen her since yesterday either.”

Derek rolled his eyes, annoyed that his friend decided to do something so brash. Isaac and Scott talked too much with each other for Scott to deal such a low blow to Isaac’s self-esteem. Isaac and Scott appeared to be good friends, but perhaps Derek guessed wrong on that observation.

\---

Derek endured the endless parade of princesses and princes available to marry him before he finally heard a knock on the door. Everyone in attendance quieted when the grand doors opened to allow Stiles to enter. Stiles looked much more timid and unsure of himself, but Derek knew it was him. And finally Derek could set things right. Derek clasped Stiles’ hands. “I almost thought-I was worried—”

Stiles smiled as he tried to placate Derek. “Nothing could keep me away.”

Derek pulled Stiles onto the dance floor. The steps were the same as before, but the way Stiles danced wasn’t the same. “Something about you seems different,” Derek remarked.

Stiles dipped his head. His palms were sweating when he finally responded. “Don’t worry,” Stiles replied as he took his necklace out from his pocket and placed it around his neck. “After tonight, everything will be perfect.”

Derek and Stiles continued dancing despite Stiles’ obvious discomfort. Derek needed to make the vow soon. He had messed up the first time. If Derek had only made sense of his words when he announced his intent to marry Stiles, then maybe Stiles wouldn’t have left so quickly and been abducted. “Lydia, I need to make an announcement. Stop the music,” Derek ordered.

\---

It had taken longer than expected, but Stiles had freed himself from the dungeon. Stiles approached the Hale castle, and he flew toward the window, trying to bang it open while flying, but it was locked. “No, no _no_ ,” Stiles groaned when he saw an exact double of him inside the castle as Derek began his speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen, mother, I have an announcement to make. Today I have found the person I want to marry.”

“No, Derek, no! It’s a trick!” Stiles screamed even though he knew nobody could understand him.

“And to prove my love, I make a vow to break all vows, a vow stronger than all the powers of the earth. Before you and before the whole world, I make a vow of everlasting love to Stiles.”

Pain shot through Stiles’ body, seizing it up in midair. Stiles panicked as he fell backward, unable to control his wings. Stiles fell dangerously low to the ground before he was able to right himself. He needed to go back to the lake. He needed to get away from here. He needed to get away from Derek.

\---

Derek held Stiles in his arms as he kissed him, but something felt off. Stiles’ clothes felt much looser as his hands brushed against Stiles’ back, and when Derek broke away, a very blonde female was in his arms. Her head dipped low as her knees gave out. Derek held her tighter to keep her from falling to the floor. Brushing his hand over the hair that fell over her face, he saw he was holding Erica as she cried.

“I’m sorry.”

Derek ignored Isaac trying to wrest Erica out of his arms.

“What happened?”

“Please don’t kill me. I didn’t want him to die—I don’t want him to die, but the enchanter made me! He told me he would kill everyone I loved.” Erica covered her face as Derek gently set her down on the floor. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“Erica, what are you talking about?”

Erica looked at Derek ruefully before pointing a finger toward the window. Derek tried squinting, but he didn’t see anything. “He told me that when you made the vow of everlasting love to the wrong person, Stiles would die.”

 “But I made a vow of everlasting love.”

“To the wrong person!” Erica looked frantic. “He’ll die, Derek, he’s going to die.”

Derek ran out of the room, rushing toward his horse. He felt so stupid. He did his best to find out the meaning of the great beast and when he finally thought he found the animal, he nearly killed Stiles. Now when he finally tried to win Stiles back, it would only end in Stiles’ death. Derek urged the horse to go faster. He couldn’t let Stiles die. Derek had never been so wrong before.

\---

Stiles’ vision turned blurry. He tried flying directly for the lake, but he could barely see in front of him. Stiles hoped he would land in the water. He was burning up. He needed to feel the cool water on his skin.

Stiles felt his wing skim the water, but instead he crashed down onto the stone steps in the courtyard. Stiles tried breathing, but everything hurt too much. Stiles couldn’t move, but he felt the magic changing him, turning him back into a human. Everything was for nothing. Even his human body was pointless. It would be better if nobody ever saw him like this, dead because someone couldn’t tell the difference between him and somebody else. Murdered by his supposed true love. Stiles waited for death. He was dying. Nothing could save him now.

\---

Derek found Stiles lying on the ground. He placed his fingers against Stiles’ neck. There was still a very low pulse. “Stiles, Stiles, please get up.” Derek shook Stiles gently, but there was no response. “Please forgive me.” Derek pulled Stiles up by his shoulders, cradling him, trying to hold onto him before he died. “The vow I made was for you.”

Stiles lips parted, and Derek nearly cheered that Stiles might still live. “I know. I love you, Derek,” Stiles whispered. Derek held onto Stiles, tears of anger running down Derek’s face when Stiles’ body went limp. Derek had failed him. Stiles did nothing wrong and Derek had killed him.

“Now, now, now, no need to get angry over such a little thing.”

Derek set Stiles down before whipping around. “Who are you?”

“Derek,” Peter tsked, “I know the last time I saw you, you were barely anything more than a toddler, but you have to remember me. Your dear Uncle Peter.”

Derek growled, moving closer toward Peter. “You can’t let him die. You can’t let this happen,” Derek commanded, but his words had no effect on Peter’s demeanor.

“Derek, I had thought killing my brother would help me get what I wanted. The throne, the kingdom, the respect. But then I realized how many people I would have to kill. So many. So very, very messy. The adjacent kingdom was much more logical.” Derek’s murderous look changed to one of confusion. Peter couldn’t possibly be saying he killed his own brother. A great beast had done that, and well, Peter was no animal. “And poor you, Derek, being forced to marry Stiles.” Derek jumped as Peter placed his hand on Derek’s shoulder in an attempt to feign comfort. “I was simply doing you a favor. You never really wanted to marry Stiles. You had been manipulated into thinking he was the right person for you. If I had married Stiles, I would gain that kingdom and you would be free to marry whoever you wished. But no, you couldn’t have just left Stiles to me. This,” Peter motioned toward Stiles’ immobile body “this is all your doing.”

Derek immediately shoved Peter away. “You’re the one killing Stiles! Fix this,” Derek gritted out.

Peter gave Derek one last pitying look. “You can’t defeat me.” Derek watched as Peter’s eyes turned red, bones breaking and readjusting to form a monstrous creature, vicious and snarling.

_“The great animal.”_

Derek looked on in shock as he realized that Peter was the cause of so many of the kingdom’s troubles. Peter was the great animal that attacked King Stilinski, abducted Stiles, killed Derek’s father, and killed the Argent girl. Derek stared at it for a moment longer before unsheathing his sword seconds before the animal leapt toward him.

 


	8. Chapter 8

“I’m betting on the animal,” Jackson croaked.

Danny kept his gaze on the animal’s retreat into the forest away from Derek. “Jackson, shut up!” The trio looked around for any sight of the great animal, but it jumped out from the trees, surprising Derek and knocking the sword out of his hand. Derek retrieved the sword and swung it at Peter, but Peter caught it and crushed it with his teeth. Derek momentarily blinded Peter as he flung gravel into the beast’s eyes, but he was quickly losing the fight.

Allison’s wings were flustered as she mumbled to herself in panic. Finally she spoke up. “The bow! We have to get the bow! Swim to the bottom of the lake and get the bow!”

Jackson looked at Allison with annoyance before she quickly picked him up and threw him into the water, resolved that Derek would somehow kill this great animal. Jackson swam quickly to the bottom of the lake, afraid more of Allison’s retribution if Derek should die rather than the possibility of Derek’s actual death. Jackson tugged at the bow, but it would not budge. Peter had flung the bow into the lake the night before, ridding the place of any visible evidence that Derek was ever there. Jackson groaned as the bowstring snapped and flung him into the packed dirt. He could not believe he was working so hard to keep Derek alive. Jackson had his own agenda, and it didn’t consist of Derek; however, Stiles’ motionless body had not been part of Jackson’s agenda either, and he wanted Peter dead as much as the others. Jackson swam back to the bow, trying to force it out of the dirt. Suddenly Danny was there, pulling the bow out of the ground easily and speeding back toward the surface while Jackson clung to the bow.

Allison had never felt so weak before in her life. She had fought hard as a knight, and she earned her the honor of being Stiles’ bodyguard. Yet she could do nothing but look on as the great animal swung Derek’s body into the trees. Derek grabbed a large branch and tried to use it to defend himself, but the beast was strong and seemed to be toying with Derek, taunting him rather than easily defeating him. Allison saw Danny emerge from the water, bow in his mouth. “Throw it! Throw it!”

Danny flung the bow in Derek’s direction despite Jackson still holding onto it. Jackson landed roughly on the ground before hearing the great animal head toward Derek’s unconscious body and him. Jackson screamed and began slapping Derek’s face.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Derek moved slightly, his vision still in a haze. With Derek awake, Jackson bounded away as quickly as possible. “Goodbye!” Jackson had no interest in being anywhere near the snarling great animal, hopping as fast as possible back toward Allison.

Derek moved his hand over his back, still disoriented. Allison huffed as she realized that while the bow had been very clever thinking, Derek still needed arrows if he were to try to use it as a weapon. The great animal was hurdling toward him. Allison watched the ensuing fight, slowly realizing this would be the end. Jackson and Danny held their breath as they saw Derek look away from the quickly approaching beast.  Danny saw the blood on Derek’s shirt and he turned his attention to the ground, not eager to see the gushing blood that would pour from Derek’s body once the great animal killed him.

Only Allison had the foresight to follow Derek’s gaze and saw Scott on the other side of the lake, drenched in water and shaking from head to toe, still weak from having to hold onto the chain in the water dungeon for hours to keep himself alive. Scott held an arrow shakily against his bow praying, “Oh please, oh please,” before weakly releasing it. The arrow headed directly for Derek who caught it and placed it on his bow, aiming it for the beast’s heart. The beast let out a howl as the bones contorted and shifted back into Peter’s human body.

With Peter’s death, the spell could no longer control them, and Allison, Danny, and Jackson transformed back into humans. Allison looked back toward Scott, but he had fainted as soon as the beast had been killed. Allison ran toward Stiles but stopped short when she saw Derek cradling Stiles in his arms. Allison stopped Danny and Jackson when they came near, unwilling to intrude on this moment.

Derek gripped Stiles’ shoulders, forcing the tears to go away. “I’m so sorry. I just wanted to break the spell. I didn’t know.” Derek looked at Stiles’ face, but nothing changed. “Forgive me, please forgive me.” Derek hugged Stiles closer to him. “I love you. I love you for your kindness and courage. I always have.” Derek’s eyes scanned over Stiles’ face, but nothing changed. Derek clenched his eyes shut as he held Stiles against him.

“Derek, you’re smothering me,” Stiles whispered. Derek opened his eyes in shock, his face so close to Stiles’. Stiles merely smiled back but he was alive, and Derek had never been happier. Derek clasped Stiles’ face and kissed him, eager to prove his everlasting love in any way possible.

\---

“You know, I helped kill the great animal. Yep, Derek would be dead if it weren’t for me,” Scott informed Lydia. Lydia rolled her eyes before something behind him caught her eye.

“Oh no! It’s… _the great animal_ ,” Lydia whispered, eyes wide. Scott saw the shadow of a great beast appear on the wall in front of him before he fainted. Allison ran over to help Scott up, but she couldn’t help herself from laughing with Lydia at Scott’s expense.

Stiles smiled at Derek as they walked out to the cheering crowds. King William and Queen Uberta had both been pleasantly surprised when Stiles told them he accepted Derek’s proposal. Derek held Stiles’ hand tightly as they made their way to the feast. Once they entered the reception hall, Stiles saw Danny and Jackson and pulled Derek toward them. Stiles squeezed Derek’s hand before releasing it to give Danny and Jackson a hug. After a moment, Stiles pressed a chaste kiss to Jackson’s forehead. “See, I told you these things aren’t magical,” Stiles joked. Danny and Jackson both laughed as Stiles gripped Derek’s hand again.

“Whatever, I’ve got some schmoozing to do,” Jackson called out after them. Derek peered back at Jackson before realizing Stiles had been speaking. Derek quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts to redirect his attention. Stiles peered back at Jackson and Danny.

“Jealous?” Stiles teased, arching an eyebrow.

“Of them? Not at all,” Derek scoffed.

Stiles looked back at Derek and feigned distress. “Don’t you love me Derek? Aren’t you supposed to love me? You agreed, and I quote ‘til the day I die.’ ”

Derek pulled Stiles close to him, “No, Stiles. I’ll love you much longer than that.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next chapter will be an epilogue sort of thing and have a side of Derek/Stiles smut. YAY! So if this felt rushed, well, it's because I wanted to start working on proofreading/editing the final chapter because the final chapter makes me happy. SPOILER ALERT! Derek and Stiles have kids. *Walks away casually.*


	9. Chapter 9

Derek turned down the corridor. He had been heading toward his room to retire for the evening when Erica nearly ran into him as he crossed an intersecting hallway. Erica slowed her pace, smiling as she tiptoed around him, but after a stony glare, Erica caved. She explained that his youngest child managed to sneak away while Erica had gone to the lavatory.

Derek rolled his eyes. Odelia always managed to outsmart her nurses. It was becoming a really bad habit. During the day, she usually ran off to find Stiles when she got antsy, but he had been in meetings with the royal advisers all week doing his best to create new legislation. Derek appreciated Stiles’ efforts, but it only made it even harder to control Odelia when she wasn’t allowed to see her daddy whenever she wanted. Derek tried to subdue her, but she was worse than Stiles ever was as a child. Derek needed to put the little four year old in bed before she decided to make a mess of anything. Derek and Erica agreed to divide and conquer. One of them was bound to find her in the castle.

As he turned around a corner, Derek heard a tiny howl as his daughter jumped out from behind a suit of armor. "Yip, yip!"

Derek laughed at the sight of Odelia wearing her older brother's wolf mask. Laura had brought it with her as a gift on her most recent visit to the kingdom, but clearly Odelia had commandeered it. Odelia was the most impetuous child Derek had ever known, so of course Odelia instantly loved Laura, thinking all the gifts Laura brought were perfect. Naturally Laura spoiled Odelia for the entire time she had visited. Truthfully, Derek thought Laura was just happy to see a little girl. Her four children were all boys, and while Laura loved her sons, Odelia was the next best thing to a daughter.

"Papa, no!" Odelia whined. "You're supposed to be scared!"

Derek tried to keep a straight face, but Odelia's black curls flopped wildly around her face as she tugged the mask off. "Of course. Sorry, princess."

Odelia growled, throwing the mask on the floor. "I am not a princess! I'm a wolf! Auntie Laura said I can be a wolf!" Odelia's crossed her arms over her chest while she stomped her foot to emphasize her point.

Derek sat on his haunches, pulling Odelia toward him. "You’re right. You are an excellent wolf cub," Derek proclaimed.

Odelia smiled, patting her father on his cheek. Derek picked her up, intent on taking her back to her room and then reminding Erica to wait until Odelia actually falls asleep before leaving next time. It took a bit of negotiating—Stiles might have called it bribing if he was there—before Derek finally got Odelia to go underneath her covers. However, just as Odelia settled in her bed, Stiles walked into her room. Immediately Odelia threw off her covers and crawled down the bed.

"Daddy, daddy, look at what I can do!"

Stiles braced himself as Odelia clapped her hands together, emitting a shower of sparks. The colorful sparks lit up the room before they slowly disappeared, and Stiles relaxed. "That’s really beautiful, Odelia.”  

"Master Deaton taught me, yep, yes he did." Odelia raised her hands upward, patiently waiting for Stiles to pick her up. Stiles smiled as he scooped her up, kissing the top of her head before tucking her back in bed.

"Are you going to sleep now? It’s way past your bedtime. I’m sure even your older brother is asleep by now," Stiles lightly chided.

Odelia smiled up at him. "Yes, you two can leave now. I have a very big day tomorrow. It’s very important," Odelia declared, precisely quoting Stiles' words from the night before. Stiles smirked at his precocious daughter. Odelia waved them away as she pulled her blanket just below her chin.

“Okay, we’ll go right now if that’s how you feel,” Stiles sighed. Stiles turned to leave but paused when his daughter called out.

“Wait!” Odelia sat up, waving him back. “Daddy, you didn’t kiss me good night!” Odelia looked like she was on the verge of tears, making Stiles double his pace.

Stiles bent down, placing a kiss on Odelia’s forehead. “Sorry, I forgot.”

Odelia flopped back onto her bed. “Liar, you never forget,” Odelia murmured as she crossed her arms over her chest. Odelia glanced over at Derek. “You too, Papa. You can’t go until you kiss me good night. It’s the rules.”

Stiles was clearly Odelia’s favorite, but Derek enjoyed these moments when she showed how much she loved them both in equal measure. Odelia probably didn’t even realize what she was doing, but it was sweet when she bossed them around to love her. These were the only times Derek was fine with letting her get her way.

\---

Their oldest child Robert was still awake when they stopped by his room, reading a book about the origins of magic in the dim candlelight. He didn’t need a nurse, nor did he need to be repeatedly told to go to sleep. Where Odelia was wild and mischievous, he was calm and reserved. The ten year old was the exact opposite of his little sister, but still fiercely protective of her. If she had turned into a mermaid, he would currently be researching books on aquatic life and differences between all the seas in the world. He didn’t show any signs of possessing magical abilities, but he refused to be ignorant of the supernatural when it concerned his little sister.

When Odelia first displayed magical abilities in the week prior, many of the servants in the castle ran out of the room in fear of such a young child demonstrating such dangerous powers. The sparks she had conjured in her room earlier tonight were nothing like the icy winds she created in the hall that first day. One moment she was sassing Scott, the next moment the temperature dropped as ice formed over the walls, cracking the glass windows. Odelia didn’t know how it happened. She only knew she was the only one unaffected by the winter winds that nearly froze Scott and half the servants. Derek had found Robert consoling Odelia in the library after that had happened, telling her not to mind what others say as she was still his little sister and hadn’t intended to do any harm. That was the key part. Odelia had not harmed anyone.

Over the course of that week, Stiles had located every book in the castle that discussed magic, determined to create a code for those with magical abilities to abide by in the kingdom. Many were certain that the ancient art of magic was extinct, but Stiles argued that if Odelia could possess magic, many others probably could. If a member of the royal family could use magic, a precedent would need to be set. If she was seen as above the law, many others who could possess magic would feel the same. Similarly, if people felt like those who possessed magic existed were a threat to their livelihood, there could be an attempt to overthrow the kingdom. Stiles definitely did not want to something as dangerous as that to ever happen due to a child being able to demonstrate magic.

Derek took care of Odelia while Stiles sat in meeting after meeting about how to handle the topic of magic in the kingdom. The Argent kingdom had thousands of codes updated yearly about how to deal with all types of magical creatures despite having no known documentation of them. The Hale Kingdom had no code for dealing with any magical creatures, and the Stilinski kingdom had very antiquated codes that were centuries old. With no known presence of supernatural creatures, the Stilinski kingdom had just assumed they all vanished, relegating all things pertaining to magic as things of legends.

Eventually Erica offered to be Odelia’s nurse until a more qualified nurse was willing to watch over Odelia. Stiles gladly accepted her offer. It may have been years since either of them were enchanted by Peter’s magic, but both could remember the signs of magic being conjured. Erica did her best to keep up with Odelia, but the little girl was impossibly talented at getting into mischief. After three days of Stiles and Derek announcing their search for a teacher for Odelia, Allison Argent returned to the castle with Master Deaton, announcing that Deaton would teach Odelia how to properly use magic. That was what changed the royal advisors’ minds. A proper teacher made all the difference.

\---

By the time Derek and Stiles made their way to their own room, Stiles was slumping over, overworked from having to negotiate and legislate. But it worked—Stiles efforts to create a code were successful. Stiles sunk down onto the bed, forgoing changing his clothes. Derek eased out of his layers of clothing before he started unbuttoning Stiles’ shirt. Derek dipped down to kiss Stiles’ abdomen, but Stiles shoved him away afterward. “Stop it. You’re not knocking me up again.” Derek simply smiled as he continued removing Stiles’ clothes.

“I don’t think you could handle any more children,” Derek teased.

Stiles shot up in bed, pushing Derek back. “Hey, I can take care of Robert and Odelia just fine!”

Derek laughed, pulling Stiles into a kiss. “Then perhaps there should be more.”

Stiles huffed, falling back onto the bed to allow Derek to finish undressing him.  It had been too long since Derek saw Stiles like this. Derek had tried to calm Stiles’ nerves during the last week, but nothing worked.

Stiles wanted the best for his children, meaning the amount of time he spent in the bedroom in the last week was almost nonexistent. Derek kept apologizing, sure that whatever reason Odelia had inherited magic was entirely his fault. Stiles simply balked, arguing that there was no way to tell if the magic had been inherited from Derek or from Stiles, though Derek laughed when Stiles offered that maybe he was the magical one.

When Derek finally freed Stiles from his clothes, Derek picked up the oil near their bed, pouring it over Stiles’ chest first. Derek ran his fingers through it, spreading it over Stiles’ body as he massaged the knots out of Stiles’ muscles. Derek pulled his slick hands over Stiles’ cock before finally pressing a finger against Stiles’ entrance. Derek slowly pushed it in, but hovered over Stiles. If Stiles didn’t want more kids, Derek could accept it. There were plants Stiles could eat if he didn’t want to get pregnant again. Derek would understand. Stiles wasn’t obligated to keep producing children. Technically, legally, politically, he was, but there were already two heirs, and if Stiles didn’t want to worry about their future children being _different_ , he didn’t have to. Derek would still love Stiles.

“Derek,” Stiles whined. “Come on. Hurry up.” Stiles nudged Derek with his leg. “ _More_.”

Derek stared at Stiles a moment longer as he tried to comprehend the possible meaning behind Stiles’ words. Finally Derek pushed a second finger in. It really had been too long since Stiles let Derek do this to him. Derek took his time, indulging himself in this.

Stiles tried a different tactic, this time going for authoritative. “Derek, come on. _Fuck_ me,” but Stiles’ order tapered off in a moan when Derek removed his fingers, pressing his cock inside instead. Stiles arched his back when Derek finally started to rock inside him. A week had felt like eternity. Derek couldn’t tell if Stiles was purposefully or accidentally distancing himself during that week, but alone in their bedroom Stiles wouldn’t keep secrets. If Stiles didn’t want anything to do with Derek, he would have said so long ago.

Stiles’ blissed out face afterward was more reward than anything. Stiles wasn’t going to stop loving Derek just because magic ran through Derek’s family. Stiles brought a hand up to cup Derek’s face. “I’m glad I married you. Really glad.” Derek dipped his head down into the crook of Stiles’ neck. Stiles had more than enough reasons to not want Derek, but Stiles had agreed to marry him those twelve years ago because Stiles loved him, and that would not change. “Seriously, you can’t get rid of me. Vow of everlasting love ringing any bells?”

Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist. “Go to sleep, Stiles.”


End file.
